Bochy on possibly demoting Brandon Belt: “It would not be the worst thing for him”

Giants manager Bruce Bochy didn’t completely show his cards, but he sure seemed to tip his hand when asked about the possibility of demoting struggling rookie first baseman Brandon Belt.
Bochy said the club must make a decision tomorrow, when Cody Ross is likely to be activated from the disabled list. (Ross is playing nine innings for Triple-A Fresno today at Las Vegas and says he isn’t feeling any soreness in his right calf. He’ll rejoin the Giants tomorrow in Denver, and if he comes out of today’s activity with no problems, he’ll probably come off the DL.)

Belt is not in the lineup today. Bochy said he sat down with the 22-year-old, who is hitting .200. He didn’t reveal their discussion, but Bochy agreed with a reporter’s question about Belt possibly not being aggressive enough at the plate.

Bochy revealed one other interesting note: Even while he and GM Brian Sabean decided to begin the season with Belt as their first baseman, they considered the possibility of sending the rookie down when Ross is ready.

“With Cody coming back. we’re getting a little crowded,” Bochy said. “We have to make a move. We know it. And (Andres) Torres is not far behind. So it will be decision time.”

Can Belt figure it out at the major league level?

“I do think given time this kid will figure it out, sure,” Bochy said. “We talked about this when he made our club. That may come up when Cody comes back. If it was time to make a move, it would not be the worst thing for him. This kid’s ahead of schedule. He’s been in our system one year and being honest, without a lot of success at (Triple-A).

“We haven’t made that decision. Good chance we have to make it tomorrow.”

Belt saw 33 pitches in his five plate appearances yesterday at Arizona, the most of any big leaguer in Sunday’s games. So I asked Bochy: At what point do quality at-bats count when you aren’t barreling up pitches?

“Well, it’s all about getting the good part of the bat on the ball,” Bochy said. “I talked to him abotu it today. But also, when you talk about productive at-bats, it can be a productive out, like moving a runner, or maybe seeing six or seven pitches. That’s what quality guys have the ability to do, too.

“I think there is a fine line there, especially if you’re a little late. He had some pretty good pitches to hit and he’s been a little late. That tells you he hasn’t been quite aggressive enough.”

“It’s fair to say Brandon is struggling at the plate. He’s searching.”

The other candidate to demote is outfielder Darren Ford. But his speed could come in handy at Coors Field. Bochy already made one move as a concession to outfield defense, giving Nate Schierholtz the start today.

Andrew Baggarly

Andrew Baggarly has documented the most eventful era in San Francisco Giants baseball history, having covered the team since 2004 for th​ree major media outlets including the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune​. This is his 20th season as a baseball writer.
​Baggarly is the author of the bestselling book, A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants, and the newly published Giant Splash: Bondsian Blasts, World Series Parades and Other Thrilling Moments By the Bay. Baggarly’s other notable life accomplishments include running as the Bratwurst in the Milwaukee Sausage Race and becoming a three-time Jeopardy! champion.

That’s just a bit of an overreaction, don’t you think? The kid has only played a handful of games at AAA. He has some specific things he needs to work on, getting the bat started earlier on fastballs, turning on the inside pitch. No reason to throw up in your mouth. YUCK!

I would think Belt gets priority for PT over Ishikawa or Pill, unless they want to try him in the OF.

The Realist

Anyone else surprised by Belt crying when Bochy gave him the news he made the opening day roster? He’s a sensitive guy. Nothing wrong with that. Could be nerves about swinging the bat in the big leagues and looking foolish. Only a short time ago he was playing college ball. All the travel (San Jose -> Augusta -> Fresno -> AFL -> ST -> SF, then on the road) and TV cameras and BEING THE #1 BASEBALL PROSPECT IN THE WORLD has got to be a lot for any man to think about. He’s a newlywed, too.

The Giants hitting instructors have a lot of tape to review and know he has the talent. Send him down to Fresno and iron out these last few issues with his approach. No problem.

And what other top prospects are you referring to? Sandoval? Posey? They seem to be doing just fine, thank you.

prima facie

Well, Fresno’s first base situation is of no consequence to this decision. But to send Brandon Belt back now is tantamount to an admission that he only made the club because Cody Ross was hurt. If that’s the case, they should have carried another outfielder instead of forcing Aubrey Huff into right field AND having the kid learn on the job at first base.

Either he’s ready or he isn’t. If he was ready March 31, he’s ready now. But, unless he’s completely lost out there and costing the Giants games, to send him back after a cup of coffee serves little purpose.

Chris Boyd

PNW has a very good point. Of course the Grizz need some people for OF ABs and either Ishi or Belt could get some ABs in those spots. I would bet large amounts of cash Belt get’s send down, with the explicit instructions to work on the inside fastball and to play rightfield. He’ll be back up before 4th of July after scalding the hell out of AAA pitching.

The Realist

At first I thought it was premature to put him on the Giants roster but I see where Bochy and Sabean are coming from. He was raking in ST. Why not put him on the opening day roster? Worst case scenario, you send him back to Fresno when Ross is off the DL for more seasoning. Best case scenario, you have another Sandoval or Posey right out of the box.

Chris Boyd

BTW, let’s all “pitch in” for Brandon purchase Ted Williams book and highlight the chapter on the inside pitch……..

Adam L

Easy decision, you send the kid down. For those that need to throw up in your mouth over it, just by some mouth wash

JA

I almost always trust bochys judgment. do u think he overestimated belts readiness for the jump?

The Realist

@JA
Nope. It’s not like he was clearly out of his league. It’s just that major league pitching is a few orders of magnitude better than AA (which is what he was most used to). He’ll adjust. He needs more time.

Planet Orange

poor ishi…he gets DFA’d for Belt, doesn’t get picked up by a team, and then when Belt gets sent down he’s gonna lose playing time from the same guy who caused him to get cut.

What’s with the insistence that every decision has to be absolutely right and irrevocable? Belt played well in spring training and Ross’ injury gave the Giants an opportunity for an extended first hand look. If he kills it out of the box and never looks back, they have a great problem to solve when Ross comes back. If he doesn’t, they’ve had to opportunity to see exactly what he needs to do to be successful at the MLB level and has specific things to work on in AAA.

The Realist

@DrB nails it.

It’s not like Steve Decker has been producing a bunch of duds for the big club out of Fresno lately!

Travis has had his opportunities and has a Ring to show for it. No reason to feel sorry for him. Time to see if Belt can be the 1B of the future.

Ian

“Either he’s ready or he isn’t. If he was ready March 31, he’s ready now.”

this makes no sense. Clearly given Belt’s minor league numbers and spring training, the structure of the club, and make-up of the roster he was ready to break camp with the Giants to start the season. Now with roster moves needing to be made its time to reevaluate, and its clear that he hasn’t succeeded in these first 15 games. Sending him down isn’t an admission of failure or a negative testament to Belt’s baseball skills — its just the situation the Giants are faced with on April 18th. NOT A BIG DEAL. If he’s that great then he’ll succeed in AAA again and the Giants will find a spot for him again. If he struggles then Fresno is the right place to figure out how to get it back. The kid is 23 and obviously has talent – luckily SF has the luxury of a trustworthy 1B in Huff, so give Belt the space to harness that talent.

Aaron

I’m not sure I understand keeping Ford but not Belt. As it is Schierholtz gets no PT so I don’t get why they’d need Ford with Ross back. When Ross and Torres are both activating sending Belt down makes some sense but not before both guys are healthy.

Chris Boyd

BTW: The only real personel issue I’m concerned with is when “Sabes” can find a replacement for Tejada…..

Belt learns here or in Fresno is not a big deal for me. I think he goes down until after the break. He’ll hit something like .320 in Fresno and when he comes back, will have the impact Posey did last year. By then Rowand cool off and Huff goes out to left.

When Rowand cools off, he’s earned the 4th OF spot for the rest of the year. I love the prospect of Rowand, Torres, Ross OF from a defensive point of view. Burrell goes to the bench to become a “let’s take a shot” AB as soon as Torres get healthy. I think Row deserves a run everyday until he cools off. Schierholtz is great defensively and it would be a tough call between his arm and defense versus Pat’s Bat if Belt earns his way back up, but I think if Rowand can keep hitting and be a .275 guy his baseball card says he will, then Nate gets a short stick. I don’t think Nate’s defensive is irreplaceable enough to give up on the late inning BOMBs Burrell seems prone to provide. It would make interesting DL juggling between now and the end of the year.

I know Boch is loyal to Huffy in the 3 hole, but the way the Panda is pounding it, he’ll be back in the 3 hole before August in my opinion…. Let Huff protect Posey and get a few more pitches. Just my two cents

CB

Noah

Thought Belt hit .200 something in Fresno…

CJ

well i will whip out the i told ya so card.

belt was a bad call.
giants did not need him to start the season, i think it is an insult to huff, since he helped win a world series playing first base. let 17 mil a yr rowand play the outfield in ross’ absence, keep ishikowa. belt needed more time in AAA get his confidence soring upward. then make a move if needed in june or so. get de rosa move time.
they also should have kept kroon, not runzler.
wtf is all this bs smack on tejada…………….Micheal urban………..giving him a month before giants make a move. wtf miggy is making 6 mil and he aint riding pine for some first time rook. its april for christs skaes. remeber tejada spent an entire career facing american league pitching except for trade to pades late last season.

Chris Boyd

BTW: The Kiss of Death for Brandon was when NatesFanMom was deciding to change her name to BrandonsFanMom…. *lol*

MLBFAN3636

Correct me if Im wrong, but I’m 100 percent positive that even Buster Posey had at least one month where he hit low .200’s. It happens to everyone no matter how good a ball player is where there will be a month that they will hit low .200. Maybe this was Belt’s month. But we won’t find out cause he will be demoted now to AAA

prima facie

The point is that Bruce Bochy said Brandon Belt makes them a better team. So, suddenly that’s not the case? Either he does or he doesn’t; that part of the equation shouldn’t change.

And Belt’s had roughly two weeks’ worth of time to “get it.” Now, suddenly he isn’t? Frankly, he’s the least of the Giants’ worries.

For the record, I thought Belt should have gone to Fresno to start the year. Kid played about six innings in Triple-A, not enough to work up a sweat, even in that Fresno heat. But since they committed to the kid, they ought to give it more than 15 minutes.

The Wisdom Cow

And the real Bruce Bochy stands back up . . .

The guy is horrible at bringing along young talent. He could have accentuated the positives in this interview, including that which Belt has been doing well (and that average has been climbing). This, however, is probably more about Bochy wanting to put Huff back at first so he can keep Burrell in the OF.

Anyone who wants to say I turned on Bochy, go back and read my old stuff. I’m not the biggest fan of his. He does great with a mismatched group of flexible veterans, but eventually, you have to be able to develop the young guys in the organization.

Sending Belt down so the lineup swings at more first pitches will make things look awfully similar to last year when Molina and Rowand remained in the line up. This year’s problem is Bochy being unable to use Burrell as pop off the bench. He should not be in the OF every day.

The Wisdom Cow

Well said, Prima Facie. I agree. The biggest mistake is to yo-yo him like Bochy did with young players in SD, which was why he was finally shown the door there.

Nice to stake Timmy to a big lead early so he can go right at the Rockies hitters.

I am Reality

enough of the B.S. that the Giants don’t give the hitters a chance….i’m a big fan of Ishikawa because he had some big contributions last year but not one of 30 frickin teams claimed him when we DFA’d him….and Lance Niekro, Todd Linden, Dan Ortmeier – all people that the whiners claimed were “never given a chance”, what happened to them? they all crapped out too on various other teams after being given several more chances in both minors and MLB….and Nate never got a chance either WAH WAH WAH and now Belt’s getting railroaded WAH WAH WAH…..either hit the damn ball or STFU!!!!

Mike Souza

Thanks to Pat Burrell for proving me wrong today…I will be happy if he proves me wrong for the rest of the season too! 😉 GO GIANTS!!!!

I am Reality

hey Souza, i hope Nate proves me wrong too…. 🙂

The Wisdom Cow

Alright, who jinxed it?

prima facie

Rockies TV announcers. They’ve been jinxing since the third inning.

Mike Souza

Statement game tonight.

The Wisdom Cow

I keep forgetting to say this. I did not realize until just the other day that the rivalry with Colorado got more regionalized, now that Colorado University is in the Pac 12.

livefree

Dammit … keeping Belt cost them at least 2 games because of the defense.

Back to AAA … probably should have seen him succeed at that level first anyway

prima facie

Memo to Darren Ford: It’s a baseball cap, not a Donald hat. Get one that fits, curve the bill properly and look like a professional please.

Also, brutal effort on Todd Helton’s double.

I am Reality

ha ha Prima Facie – google Darren Ford and go to “images” and prepare to laugh….he must have been a track guy or something…

Confused

I enjoyed Tulo’s 2ks more than any grown man should.

sean buxton

happy lincecum day indeed! nothing would have been ‘freakier’ than for the freak to add a no-no to his resume at coors field. i couldn’t believe one had actually been thrown there.

Sansui-Sans Haiku Corner

Freak was abusive!
Just filthy, dirty… nasty
Chip still on shoulder

Confused

#46. Nomo was unreal when he first hit the states. I was at the Stick the year before when a Royce Clayton infield hit was all that kept him from another one. Hate to give a Doyer props, but he deserves that.

Noah

@Mike Souza

Let’s see that Giants heart and faith for the rest of the year on this board, brother! This is our team!

Gigantes

I dont have any problem with how Belt was handled so far. With Ross out and Torres and DeRosa being banged up the roster numbers did work out as far as taking a gamble that Belt could contribute. he may not have hit much but he did work counts at the very least so he wasn’t a quick out and was able to wear down pitchers. he did well defensively as well.

with Ross back Belt doesn’t make us a better team at this point in his career so yes sending him down is ok. It’s roster management. Things change and you adjust.

Boch is a lot better than horrible at bringing around young talent. Pablo and Posey seem to be doin pretty ok. The ones with actual talent, not the ones that get exposed like Bowker and the rest. If Belt gets sent down he knows what he needs to work on and he’s gained valuable experience. Now it’s time for him to adjust. You can’t evaluate the Belt decision until later this season. I don’t think Boch could have predicted how bad Huff has been in the outfield though, no one could have.

Still so early this year, no use in trashin Boch or anyone just yet. Ross will be a welcome addition to the outfield and lineup.

Confused

@ Gigantes. Well said. After Bocky’s pregame comments I would’ve put the house on Belt swinging at the first pitch tonight. He’s stuck in his own head right now and needs some success. He’ll be fine.

I am Reality

tomorrow’s the big game of the series, with Sanchie vs Ubaldo….if the Giants win that they have a chance to put a real whoopin on the Rockies.

bullship

I am unsure about this post because I am agreeing with wisdom cow and a few others, but I do not think belt should be sent down…especially with Ford on the roster, not to mention derosa who seems to me to add very little, the giants have far better fielding back-ups in the infield(fonte) and out field (shearholz)….and his ‘bat’ has never really showed up as a giant-maybe because he is hurt- but put him on the DL then. Despite his average , belt has not looked overpowered to me and I LIKE HITTERS THAT ACTUALLY WORK THE COUNT especially at the bottom of the line-up . The giants have been very aggressive hackers ever since sabean has been gm, which is one reason the current team is so streaky offensively and they could use a few more hitters that get the pitch count up, especially in their division as all the teams have weak pens. I still think belt is a better bat than any other giants outside of huff, posey , panda and sanchez. And I think he will improve. All this being said, it is not the end of the world if he goes down. But the giants do need a major league SS as a back-up defensively.

Last point is…rockies record reflects their opponents more than the rockies and I think the giants can sweep…the rockies have no healthy pitching and their bullpen is a joke…….

Nate’sFanMom

First: Wow, great spanking of the Rocks. Serves them right. That stupid mascot of theirs jumping around while our guys are pitching makes my blood boil.

It’s sad about Ishi because guys like Freddie Lewis and John Bowker are at least on MLB rosters.

I knew at least one Nate hater would show up, even though Nate hit the ball very hard tonight.

Can’t you Nate haters see that if Nate does well, it’s a good thing for the team? He either wins RF and makes the OF air-tight along with Ross and Torres OR we can get a good player in a trade.

Bradley Emden

Belt is hitting ok in his last 15 AB’s. He has some good AB’s and works pitchers. I agree with those who think that with Torres out, Belt should bat lead off. He is not a speed demon like Ford, but Belt can run. Ford is a double A guy playing in triple A, who is up just for his speed. Ford could come in handy when the roster expands to 40 in Sept. Belt should be on the team now. He will come around. He is hitting around 200 with an on base percentage over 300. He has a great eye at the plate. One or two of his called strike 3’s, were very questionable. As was the bases loaded called strike 3 today of Burrell who was trying to lay off bad pitches. He did, and was not rewarded.

El Lobo

I was lousy at predicting the roster moves in ST, but here goes:

Ross comes back tomorrow, Belt goes down to get some confidence back in Fresno
Runzler gets his first career start on Friday with Mota in the wings
They take their time with Torres to make sure he’s healthy before bringing him off the DL. Ford back to Fresno.
After the second episode of The Franchise, we get the context of DeRosa’s “they only cared that I was hitting a buck-ninety” comment. If he was complaining about anybody in the Giants’ organization, he gets traded, DL’d or DFA’d. Ishi gets recalled.
Zito’s time on the DL is inversely proportional to the combined ERA of Runz, Mota and Vogelsong.

uncle joe mccarthy

im sorry….but i still think that belt shouldve started the year in fresno

he was expecting to

most of the press and the fans expected him to

i dont think sending him down will mess with his head…but i really dont see what he or the org really gained by having him start the year with the big club

the only thing everyone learned is…they will not be able to get away with the water buffalo defense in the of this season

and no…rowand did not earn back his 4th of spot

rowand is what he is…a streak hitter with avg skills…who is gonna get traded this offseason

and el lobo….vogelsong is starting this friday…didnt you notice that runzler got gassed after 2 ips?

I am Reality

hilarious reading the Rockies’ fan site on SBN…..it says “REMEMBER THIS??” with a link to the humidor accusations of last year, and then it says

“PAYBACK STARTS TONIGHT!!!”

lol, guess they’re still waiting for that payback to start….

and they quite cocky over there after a few games, they think Western Division title is practically in the bag and a WS appearance very likely ….razzing on Timmy for the herb, truth is i think they’re smokin a little something themselves…

I am Reality

their fans are punks…think i hate them worse than the dodgers…

Nate’sFanMom

Okay, Uncle Joe, see your point. So would you like to see the Giants trade Rowand while he’s hot?

@I am Really: I hate that stupid mascot more. It always stands right in the opposing pitcher’s sight line and bounces around. That should not be permtted by the league.

Giant Dave

I read the blog entry and the comments and I didn’t read anyone bring up service time regarding Brandon Belt.

If Belt stays on the team for the entire season, he will be eligible after the 2016 season.

If Belt spends two weeks in Fresno, he won’t be eligible until after the 2017 season.

As far as I’m concern sending Belt down to Fresno for for a few weeks is a no brainer. In the mean time it gives someone Burrell a few more weeks to prove he still has it (tonight was a good start). In a few weeks someone may get hurt and then Belt could come back up at that point. Now if he is tearing it up in Fresno and is still there post all star break, then I would be more critical of Sabean and Bochy on this matter but not tonight or tomorrow.

The Wisdom Cow

Wow, Giant Dave. If it is only two weeks for the extra year, that would be a big factor if they are on the fence. I’d still keep him up, but I won’t be as mad if he goes down for a short stint after learning that.

Gigantes, yeah, Bochy did great with Pablo last year. 🙂

Look, I just mean he can manage talent, not develop it. Doesn’t mean I am trashing him. It is just an opinion I think is correct that I happen to share with almost every Padre fan. His skill set is maneuvering vets. Young guys either excel like Pablo two years ago, Buster last year, or they find themselves in a yo-yo situation, looking over their shoulders because a 0-fer means they don’t play for a week. Vet has an 0 for 30, “he’s a gamer. He’ll work through it.” Rookie has a 0 for 8, “Some time on the bench will speed up his bat and improve his timing.”

OK, so I am trashing him a little. He just needs a bench coach who excels at working with the young guys. Steve Decker, can’t wait til your up.

This is a little off the subject, but since everyone keeps bringing up the “DeRosa going on the DL” option, I’ll mention this- If he doesn’t get this wrist injury under control soon, it could be his career- I mean the guy has had 2 surgeries and been out for 2 years with this thing- When do you say enough ???

It also seems that part of the Belt problem is that Huff hasn’t been that great in RF and that’s not Belt’s fault. When you play at ATT and have Burrell and Huff in the outfield, you’re going to have a problem

I am Reality

wiscow – how do you know Bochy can’t “develop talent”? in the first place that doesn’t appear top be his job since he’s an MLB manager, not a minor league skipper – and he seems to have a reputation for “developing” a good bullpen both here and in SD….i just think this constant line on Bochy is overblown and if you’re going for the “only plays the veterans” angle there might be more to Sabean and the F.O. being involved there than one might think….they were prob still in the frame of mind from the Bonds era where they just had to be marginally competitive to fill the seats….they seem to have a different attitude now…

Erkel

anyone notice Pablo’s 3 BB’s tonight? what a turnaround…

BrianIsAwesome

If Belt gets sent down, I wonder if they will play him in LF. It’s looking more and more like Burrell is going to hit a HR or strike out. He is ideal late inning PH when you absolutely need a home run.

This would keep Huff at first with an OF of Belt, Torres and Ross. If Belt does well in left, the offense and defense are both improved.

Andres The Giant

The biggest play of the game was Panda’s rare patience at the plate, drawing the two-out walk on four pitches to set up Pat The Bat’s three-run homer, immediately followed by Schierholtz’s monster blast! 🙂 Big Time Timmy Jim took care of the rest! 🙂

al oha

On ESPN, it was said that Pat went to Bochy and said that with Lincecum throwing a no-hitter through 6 that he didn’t want to ruin it by not being able to get to a ball that someone else could. So Bochy replaced him for the 7th inning.

I like Pat alot. His offer to play this year for $1 million so that he could stay in S.F., shows that he’s wise and that the chance to stay in with his hometown Team meant more. Here is another case of him thinking about what’s best for the Team. And this is after he had the Biggest offensive impact of the game.

Leonard Bonilla

I was one of a very few who thought Belt needed time in AAA from the start. Now Bochy has cought up to me. “He’s been in our system one year and being honest, without a lot of success at (Triple-A).” Brining up a young player too early can hurt him. This kid has promise but he needs to tear up AAA first.

DeRosa will be a health problem all season hot weather or cold. His wrist problem will not go away. Have you ever had a sprained wrist? It takes a long time to heal. He has a permanent wrist problem and surgery won’t cure it. he will be a “Spot Starter” at best. This was a typical Sabean signing. He has a habit of signing injured players. Its become a “Trade Mark”!

Gooser

I wonder if Zito ever makes another pitch for the Giants. His “fastball” was only hitting 82 on the gun his last start. Vogelsong looked pretty good, and I believe Runzler will eventually be a starter. I would think they hold Zito out until he can get his fastball up to the 88 range. I am not sure if he will ever be there again. Without that he has nothing to keep hitters honest.

The Giants lineup looks pretty strong with Ross coming back. 1 through 8 we have guys who can hurt you. I like having Belt on the team, but if he gets sent down, no big deal. He is the future at first base.

Universe

Al Oha,

Thank you for bringing that up about Pat. It drives me insane all the complaining that goes on around here about that guy. The guy is ALWAYS into the game and was always the 1st out of the dugout to celebrate the playoff wins last year.

And it’s not like he misrepresented the skills he was bringing to the table or has seen any clear erosion of those skills. He looks at pitches and works counts as well as anyone in our lineup. He walks and K’s a ton obviously, but sometimes both of those outcomes are a welcome change to the all too common 1st pitch GIDP the Giants tend to get a lot.

And actual numbers? The guy’s OPS is .867 right now, which is good for 27th in the NL. There are MULTIPLE teams in the league without a single player on their roster higher than that. He’s never been and never will be a high BA guy or a great defender. But with what he brings to our lineup in working counts, OBP and slugging, the guy is definitely an asset, ESPECIALLY at just $1 Million a year.

ClutchUp

This thread has more great posts, statements and retorts than others. HOF material. I commend all of you. Here are a couple of things:

– Belt doesn’t make the Giants roster if Ross is not injured.
– Pablo looks “a smidgen” bigger than 3 weeks ago, but his pitch selection is a work in progress and last night was impressive.
– Who made the poor effort on Helton’s double??
– Burrell – stand back and look at him, esp. in person. He is a physical specimen who never was a GGlove outfielder. The Phil’s tried him at 1b. He can catch a routine fly ball…or a ball with air under it – hit to his left.
– Nate has a better than average arm. Plays line drives in the gap tremendously, but to continue last night’s success – he would need regular at bats. He has only 700+ total at bats during 5-6 seasons. Some ML players get their 500 in one year.
– Bochy – in my opinion he has two big strengths: Managing his bullpen and keeping the revolving 25 man roster happy. Not a great field manager.
– 3 players came to Spring with a chip on their shoulder/something to prove: Rowand-Pablo-Zito. It remains to be seen the end to that story.

ViewReserved231

@ BrianIsAwesome

Burrell is/will be a threat off the bench, but IMO part of his HR success has come from STARTING and “being-in-the game” if you will although last night it was his first A.B. It is not a bad thing when Burrell gets to bat in the first inning. Even if he fails – professionally he makes great adjustments in his subsequent at bats. Sometimes he walks, other times he gets caught looking. That’s just Burrell. I love that another Poster said: “It’s not as if Burrell presented himself as another type of player…”

Belt needs to be where he has the best chance to develop. If you made a decision in late March to keep him with the Big Club, then stick to it and trot him out there every day until late May.

That’s why coaches are paid a nice sum of money, to coach. Get inside his head and boost his confidence or one of us on this board will gladly take the job of hitting coach. A little video, maybe some extra BP. Some encouragement.

I still feel that the SF brass felt Brandon was this years’ version of Panda, or Buster, and every young kid that gets a shot is gonna be a Rookie-of-the-Year. Doesn’t always work out but you cant give up in mid-April. Show some patience. You’d look like a fool to give up on him now. It would be more of a knock on SF scouting than Brandon himself, but he won’t take it that way.

Either play him everyday or send him to Fresno so he can develop. If he goes to Fresno, send Ford with him.

ClutchUp

@ Sharon: Really? Are any of those statements realistic? Only reason Belt made the team is that Ross was hurt. MLB coaches do not have the same success with younger players that AAA or below coaches do. Decker will get Belt on track. The comparisons of Belt to Posey are wrong. Posey ALSO came up in 2009 and went something like 2 for 17 and habitually hit weak ground balls and one or two flares. Belt needs time in AAA. They are not giving UP on him, they have a Pennant and WS to try and defend.
Belt is a converted LHP/Outfielder to Firstbaseman. He is one of the best I have seen around the bag. (JT Snow/Keith Hernandez)

Ross off the DL – Belt goes down. Torres off the DL – Ford goes down.

Burrell-Rowand-Nate S and Zito are going nowhere. When will people understand that…UNLESS an American League team comes calling + the Giants pick up 90% of the 60 million still owed to Zito. (Blame Peter McGowan NOT Barry Zito)

GiantHusker

Big mistake to send Belt down. I could bore you with dozens, maybe hundreds, of major leaguers who had a worse start than Belt. The most recent one I can think of is Mike Stanton. The Marlins were patient, and look what happened. The Giants management is reverting to their bad old ways again, after they fooled us into thinking they snapped out of it.

Alg

Matt Williams was sent to AAA when he was a young Giant years ago to find his swing and get regular ABs. When Matt came back to the Giants, he was a true hitter and became a force in the lineup. Brandon Belt reminds me so much of Williams – good fielder and in time, a solid bat. I think that going to Fresno will take some pressure off Belt and he can get the experience at the plate without worrying about being yanked out of the lineup.